The present invention relates to a device that can support reading or writing material including binders, books, magazines, notebooks, files in an upright manner on bookshelves or desktops. The device can support an arbitrarily mixed set of thick and thin, soft and hard cover copies. The device can be used multi-functionally as a binder supporter, a bookend, a document organizer, a magazine organizer, a file sorter, etc.
It is often desired to place a set of binders, books or magazines in an upright manner on a desktop or a bookshelf. Bookends are used as an economic and freestanding mean to support books and binders in an upright manner on a desktop or bookshelf. However, as one withdraws some copies out of a set of books or binders between bookends, the bookends may slip away thus causing the standing books or binders to fall. In addition, one also finds it is difficult to insert a thick book or a soft magazine into a tight set of books between bookends. It is even more problematic to hold several loose-leaf binders together by using bookends. This is because, if binders are not fully filled with sheets, the covers of the binders form angles. Thus the binders between bookends would bulge out as a user tries to push the bookends tightly. This is extremely inconvenient in libraries or offices where people have to frequently insert and withdraw binders, reference books, and magazines on shelves and desktops.
These problems are well recognized in prior arts. To avoid the bookends to slip away, one type of devices, represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,183,163, 5,205,420 and 5,871,104, uses a special rack or some modifications on a bookshelf to support the bookends. The shortcoming is that bookends are not freestanding by themselves. A similar type of device, represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 305,863 and 3,601,258, is clipped on a bookshelf board, thus cannot be placed on desktop and is not completely freestanding either. In addition, these inventions have not solved the following problem: as a user withdraw several thick books between the bookends, the remaining books would fall out.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,420 represents another type of solutions for the problems. It adds plural vertical dividers between the bookends so the remaining books can keep standing even if some books are taken out. However, the space between dividers are fixed. The fixed space for supporting thin magazines cannot fit thick dictionaries or binders and vice versa.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,759,449 and 5,732,832 represent the third type of solutions in which partitions (dividers) can be inserted in various slots of a prepared rack (consisting a base and back) so the space between the partitions can be adjusted. However, the structure of these devices is awkward and the partitions are not rigidly interlocked with the base and back. Because the total length of each unit is rather long, the multiple of the units are not likely to fit the existing dimension of a desktop or a bookshelf. Hence U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,449 has to cut its unit before the entire assembly can fit a bookshelf. U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,124 is also an adjustable divider device, which can be directly clamped on a bookshelf. Yet it cannot be put on a desktop and alike thus is not freestanding. Further, all these devices have the disadvantages of lack of sufficient structural rigidity, high manufacturing cost, inconvenience in assembling, etc.
The fourth solution is an add-on module that can be interlocked to the other. This type of devices are represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,595,105 and 5,971,165. However, the space between the partitions is fixed thus the device is not flexible to support books of different thickness. Further each module consists several separate pieces. The structure of the assembly is neither sufficiently rigid nor sufficiently simple to assemble and manufacture.
The present invention avoids all above problems. It does not need a rack. It is an assembly of identical or similar modules with vertical panels that can support a mix of books/binders/magazines/files in an upright manner. The space between panels is adjustable to fit various thickness of the reading and writing material between panels. The multiple panels of the assembly can keep the reading and writing material in an upright manner as users freely withdraw or insert copies between the panels. The total length of the assembly can be adjusted by changing the number of modules in the assembly, in order to fit the dimension of an existing bookshelf or desktop. The modules are solidly interlocked each other by snapping the notches of the arms and feet of one module to openings of its neighboring module. The assembly requires no additional parts or tools. The weight of the books on the assembly can automatically reinforce the structure of the assembly, and place the assembly solidly on a desktop or on a bookshelf. It is completely free standing.